Like most great country singers, Elijah Ocean has spent time all over America. He was born in upstate New York in the Hudson Valley, spent most of his growing up years in Maine, and tempered his songwriting and performance chops in New York city itself. Currently, Ocean lives in Los Angeles, and the dusty, windswept sparkle of that city is all over his fourth, self-titled album Elijah Ocean. Written and recorded mostly in California, the record is a culmination of all the places Ocean has lived, worked, and sung about, but it seems fitting that he finally be working in a city best known for the body of water he’s taken as his namesake.
Following up the album’s lead off track, “Barricade,” today we’re premiering the second song off the record, “Malibu Moon,” a country waltz full of disappointment and moon bent hopes. While Ocean has drawn on all kinds of traditional country and folk sounds throughout his songwriting tenure, the Laurel Canyon overtones here are unmissable. “Counting the stars tonight, and I’m thinking of you,” Ocean sings in his signature creaky tenor, proving that the right melody can give worn-out phrases new life, even in 2017. Listen below and look for Elijah Ocean out 8/4 via New Wheel.
Here are Ocean’s full tour dates for this fall:
08/04 — The Pour House Oceanside, CA
08/05 — The Wayfarer Costa Mesa, CA
08/06 — The Echo Los Angeles, CA
08/09 — The High Dive Seattle, WA
08/10 — Landmark Saloon Portland, OR
08/11 — Hotel Utah San Fransisco, CA
08/12 — Standing Sun Buelton, CA
08/20 — Beth’s Farm Market Warren, ME
08/23 — Atwood’s Tavern Cambridge, MA
08/24 — Portland House of Music Portland, ME
08/26 — Stone Church New Market, NH
09/01 — Dirt Floor Haddam, CT
09/02 — Rockwood Music Hall (stage 2) New York, NY
09/03 — Skinny Dennis Brooklyn, NY
09/09 — Jack of the Wood Asheville, NC
09/11 — WDVX Blue Plate Special Knoxville, TN
09/15 — Americanafest Nashville, TN
Elijah Ocean is out 8/4 via New Wheel. Pre-order it here.
